Course Offerings

The undergraduate curriculum in political science includes a challenging and comprehensive program of academic coursework and experiential learning. As a political science major, you establish a foundation of knowledge in the discipline through six core courses in American government, comparative politics, international relations, political thought, research methods, and statistics.

Building upon these courses, you select a number of elective courses offered each semester by political science faculty. You may choose any electives within the department, or you may focus four of your electives in one of seven concentrations listed below:

American Political Institutions

Comparative Politics

Identity, Culture, and Politics

International Relations and Diplomacy

Law and Legal Studies

Public Policy

Security Studies

Coursework in the department concludes with a capstone course as a final opportunity to bring together classroom learning and experiential activities.

The numbering for undergraduate courses in the department begins with the departmental prefix of POLS, then a four-digit number for the specific course. POLS 1150, for example, is the designation for Introduction to American Government. Courses are numbered using the university’s convention of 1000- 2000 for introductory courses, 3000 for intermediate courses, and 4000 for advanced courses. Internships and directed studies are numbered at the 4900 level.

See the Office of the University Registrar for a complete list of political science undergraduate courses and their descriptions. Course offerings in political science for the current and recent academic terms can be viewed online.